Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:RAV 4 - get a base model out the door for 23k or so. Toyota has a good suite of standard safety features now. I am not a car person either (and never really thought I wanted an SUV) but after the RAV I’ll never go back. It’s so comfortable.
Second this suggestion. I bought a Rav4 when I was pregnant with our now toddler after not having a car for almost 10 years. Great buy. You may need to pay a little more than $23k though. I personally liked the one up from the base model better and I'm not a car person either.
Thirded, but I think you can get it in your budget, especially if you're okay with the base model (LE). We got an XLE Hybrid out the door for $26k, just depends on when you shop (we went in December for the year-ending model year and got a deal).
For the RAV4, also be mindful of the fact that if you plan to have a second child, you cannot put two car seats and an adult in pre-2019 RAV4s (not that you would want to anyway since it's tight, but Toyota specifically didn't allow this because the seat belts overlap, so only two of the three seating positions can be used at a time). This was finally fixed for the 2019 model year, so if you're buying new, you're good.